Launch Date Announced for Heart of the Swarm

The next chapter of Blizzard’s StarCraft II saga, Heart of the Swarm, will launch on March 12, 2013.

Heart of the Swarm, Blizzard’s first expansion to StarCraft II, picks up where Wings of Liberty left off, focusing on Kerrigan’s quest to reunite the Swarm and take revenge on Arcturus Mengsk. You will follow Kerrigan as she travels the galaxy, growing in strength from mission to mission (20 in total), and players will be able to customize her with powerful new abilities, as well as evolve various zerg strains into fearsome new subspecies. Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment says that “With Heart of the Swarm, our goal has been to expand on the multiplayer action and cinematic storytelling of Wings of Liberty. Combined with features like unranked matchmaking and our new leveling system, this expansion elevates the StarCraft II experience for players of all skill levels.”

Pre-sales for the standard digital and Digital Deluxe versions of Heart of the Swarm are now available. Players who would like to purchase either version and be ready to play the moment the expansion launches can do so now by visiting www.StarCraft2.com.

The Digital Deluxe version of Heart of the Swarm includes a full digital copy of the expansion along with the following in-game bonus items:

StarCraft II Torrasque

StarCraft II Battle.net Portraits and Decals

World of Warcraft In-Game Pet

Diablo III Blade Wings and Banner Sigil

While the collectors version includes all of the above plus:

Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-ray

Collector’s Edition Soundtrack CD

Heart of the Swarm Hardcover Art Book

Zerg Rush Mousepad

To learn more about StarCraft II and Heart of the Swarm, visit the official website at www.StarCraft2.com.